city, seat (1887) of Logan county, northeastern Colorado, U.S. It lies along the South Platte River at an elevation of 3,950 feet (1,204 metres). Laid out after the arrival of the Union Pacific Railroad (Union Pacific Railroad Company) in 1881, it was named after a town in Illinois. Now an important railroad division point, it is a marketing and shipping centre for an irrigated area supporting cattle, sugar beets, grain (wheat and corn 【maize】), and dairy products. In 1950 oil was discovered in the surrounding Denver-Julesburg Basin, and Sterling became the headquarters for much of the related oil and natural-gas activities. The city's other industries include sugar refining, meat processing, and the manufacture of steel tanks, cinder blocks, and concrete. Sterling is the seat of Northeastern Junior College (1941). The Pawnee National Grassland is northeast. Inc. 1884. Pop. (1990) 10,362; (2000) 11,360.